accused

• (noun): First attested in the 1590's.
• From accuse (“blame”) +‎ -ed

• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈkjuzd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːzd

accused

1. simple past and past participle of accuse

accused (plural accuseds or accused)

1. (law) The person charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case.

   Synonym: accusee

   Antonym: accuser

   • 2017 June 26, “Australia's Crown Resorts staff face trial in China”, in France 24‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 June 2017‎^[2]:

     The accused arrived at the Baoshan District Court in Shanghai in the morning and a tribunal officer told AFP that a verdict may be issued later on Monday, but it was up to the judge.

• (noun): Most often preceded by the definite article the. The plural accuseds is non-standard, and not widely used.
• In Canada and the Philippines, accused is standard for the person being prosecuted for a crime; defendant is reserved for a party being sued civilly.

accused (comparative more accused, superlative most accused)

1. Having been accused; being the target of accusations.
   • 1883, Charlotte Mary Yonge, Landmarks of Recent History, 1770-1883‎^[3], Walter Smith, pages 11–12:

     This power chiefly fell to the queen, and she was more accused than ever of too much leaning towards her own country; […]

   • 1891, Charles Grant Robertson, Caesar Borgia: The Stanhope Essay for 1891, B.H. Blackwell, pages 8–9:

     Naples had an almost stronger preference for the interposition of Spain, while the great republic of Venice in the eyes of Italy stood accused of aspiring to bring the whole peninsula under its sway, […]

   • 2007, Patricia Love, Steven Stosny, How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking about It: Finding Love Beyond Words, Random House, →ISBN, page 188:

     If she felt unimportant, you showed her that she was important to you. If she felt accused, you reassured her. If she felt guilty, you helped her feel better.

• succade